This got my interest right away. It was being sold as a Grand Tour bronze for a Grand Tour price. While it had many attributes of a Tour piece, it just did not feel right to me. That feeling was somewhat validated when the owner could not offer any provenance and indeed could not even identify the door or its location. I set about doing my homework and it took very little time to identify it as the “Holy Door” of Saint Peters Basilica in Rome.
The Holy Door or 'Porta Sancta' is only open during a Holy Year (Jubilee), which occur every 25 years (the last one in 2000). On the first day of a holy year, the Pope strikes the brick wall with a silver hammer and opens it to the pilgrims. The message imparted by the Holy Door is that God's mercy reaches out to mankind's frailty. From inside the basilica, you'll notice that the door is walled up. On the first day of the Holy Year the Pope strikes the brick wall with a hammer, and so opens the door to let in the pilgrims who come to make the most of the indulgence. It will be closed by the Pope himself at the end of the Holy Year. The Holy Year is celebrated every 25 years. In this century two extraordinary Holy Years of Redemption have also been celebrated on the anniversary of Jesus' death on the Cross: 1933 and 1983.
Well now I knew what it was a replica of but not when it was made. I decided that however it played out, it was a quality bronze object and I wanted it. I negotiated with the owner for a price that was fair for a quality bronze but not what I would expect for the grand tour. Once I had the door, I was able to take the back off and see some of the construction casting inside. I also noticed the back had a keyhole shaped cut out for hanging it on the wall (not a grand tour attribute). I also noticed that the bottom has two small screw holes indicating it would/could be mounted on something; but what? Was this a souvenir from the Vatican where the door is? But souvenirs of this quality where not typical post 1800. So now I was assuming the door was no earlier than 1880 because of the keyhole hook; but no later than 1950 when the old wooden door was replaced with the new multi-panel bronze doors. Souvenirs of this quality are typically produced for a notable event; so, what happened within my narrowed down timeframe that could trigger such a commission?
So back to more research where I learned a Jubilee can be "ordinary" if it falls after the set period of years, and "extraordinary" when it is proclaimed for some outstanding event. There have been twenty-five "ordinary" Holy Years so far. The custom of calling "extraordinary" Jubilees began in the 16th century and they can vary in length from a few days to a year. There have been two extraordinary jubilees in this century: 1933 proclaimed by Pope Pius XI to mark the 1900th anniversary of Redemption and 1983 proclaimed by Pope John Paul II to mark 1950 years since the crucifixion. I think I have a new prime suspect, 1933?
I do not know for certain yet that it was made in 1933 but the process of elimination points directly at it twice. In any case for now I am calling it 90 years old and made for the extraordinary jubilee year 1933. I also connected the dots between the two sets of mounting holes and in doing so discovered the purpose. The keyhole on the back is indeed for hanging it on a wall, and the two small holes on the bottom were for attaching the holy water font. This hung inside the entrance door of a church. Now I just need to know which one? Buildings are our story.
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